Update on Sandy relief efforts from Lexington Red Cross volunteer

LEXINGTON, Ky. (WKYT) - He arrived just a day before Storm Sandy struck the east coast, and now he's snowed in after volunteering for the Red Cross in West Virginia.

We talked to him days before Sandy hit when he was leaving Lexington as a Red Cross volunteer.

"On the way up here, we kept driving by power poles that were literally snapped in half and transformers were laying on the ground. We saw a lot of power lines laying on the ground and trees down," said Ron Shipman, a Red Cross volunteer from Lexington.

That's what Ron Shipman ran into when he arrived at his second shelter location in West Virginia today. And it's all because of the blizzard that Sandy blew in.

"There's a lot of people they still cannot get to," said Shipman. "We just got here and the information we got is they did do air drops because they are back in these back roads and they cannot get to them."

Not knowing what he'd run into, Shipman says he packed clothing for every season. But, needless to say, several feet of snow is not what he thought he'd be working in.

"They just maybe expected a little bit of a dusting if any at all," said Shipman.

More than one dozen states total were affected by Sandy each in a different way with different needs to be met.

"I cook. That's my job. I do the feeding. I mean we've been taking care of everyone. Three hot meals a day. It's some very good food," said Shipman.

After his job is done, he's hoping to make it to New York or New Jersey to volunteer.

"I've not seen a TV since Sunday. I have no idea what's going on out there. I get a few words. I know it's bad," said Shipman.

For now, he says he has to concentrate on his current location and what help they need.

Shipman tells us he is not sure when he will be coming back home to Lexington.

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